Click to see

Obama countdown

Friday, November 15, 2013

Two Newspapers Call for Repeal of Obamacare

I think many of us would follow politics just as passionately even if we couldn't vote. It's real life drama and while heroes may be in short supply there is never a shortage of villains. There is suspense and melodrama, symbolism and subtlety. Subtlety, in my opinion, is the chamber music of drama. It's the art of saying something outrageous that appears to be innocuous. Never a master of subtlety, Bill Clinton rose to the occasion with the subtle words
"I personally believe, even if it takes a change in the law, the president should honor the commitment the federal government made to those people and let them keep what they've got." Under his breath he probably added that's for South Carolina you son-of-a-bitch.
To the guy lounging on the couch munching his Fritos the statement was innocuous enough and even ho hum but for congressional Democrats it was reminiscent of the Corleones accepting delivery of a dead fish wrapped in Luca Brasi's bulletproof vest. It was not innocuous. It was terrifying. It was as visceral as a gall bladder attack. It hurt. Bill was bidding farewell and leading Hillary to the lifeboat and they would be left to sink with Obama and Obamacare. The panic has ebbed a bit since the initial shock as Pelosi, ever the provost marshall, probably warned not too subtly that deserters are sometimes shot. But as panic has given way to fear, loathing, and resignation in congress, Clinton's words have been a cue to editorial writers that the time has come to finally take a hard look at Obamacare even if it is 3 years after passage.
Two papers of note took a hard look at Obamacare and found it lacking.

The Americans manhandled by this exercise in government arrogance now find themselves divided into warring tribes: Those with chronic ailments who have found new plans on Obamacare exchanges and are pleased. Those who don’t want or can’t afford the replacement policies Obamacare offers them. Those whose new policies block them from using the health providers who have treated them for many years. The estimated 23 million to 41 million people whose employer-sponsored plans are the next to be imperiled. And on and on.Most of these tribespeople only wish their big problem was a slipshod Obamacare website. On Thursday, their plight grew more frightful. With even Democratic members of Congress storming the White House over the cancellations, Obama declared — by what legal authority is unclear — that he would overrule the law he signed in 2010 and allow insurers to extend those canceled policies for a year.

“Many of the Americans who heard their president say Thursday that ‘we fumbled the rollout of this health care law’ would have been pleased to hear him add: So we’re admitting it. This law is a bust. We’re starting over.”

Just to be sure Harry Reid got the message the Las Vegas Review-Journal stated in its Obamacare woes beg for repeal editorial;

Congressional Democrats can’t run away from this mess fast enough, as evidenced by the number of partisans proposing or supporting legislation to let individuals keep their current plans — which led to the president’s Hail Mary on Thursday. At this point, however, it’s impossible to fix that broken promise. The insurance industry, which has spent all year entirely remodeling plans to become Obamacare compliant, can’t turn it all back around in just 45 days and is furious with being scapegoated into trying to do so. An industry insider told BuzzFeed.com, “This doesn’t change anything other than force insurers to be the political flak jackets for the administration.”Said Karen Ignagni, president of America’s Health Insurance Plans: “Changing the rules after health plans have already met the requirements of the law could destabilize the market and result in higher premiums for consumers.”As the guys in those Guinness commercials would say, “Brilliant!” Obamacare policy premiums in many cases were already going to cost significantly more money; this “fix” could cause even bigger increases. The law is so deeply flawed, with so many components in direct conflict with one another, that tweaking just one part will accelerate its collapse.The Obamacare debacle is just getting started — and it only gets worse from here. Repeal and replace.

Replace and repeal! One would think Ted Cruz and Mike Lee or Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann had authored this piece.
In any event be grateful to Bill Clinton regardless of his motives. He started this drama.